Thursday, 16 March 2017

The Rain Returns

Poul Anderson, World Without Stars (New York, 1966), Chapter XII.

See Rain And Silence.

Argens, a prisoner, concealed below deck, hears the Niao, slaves of the Ai Chun, go ashore and capture his men. Then:

"I heard the Ai Chun wallow past my prison, bound ashore. I sat in darkness and heard the rain begin." (p. 83)

When he is taken ashore, it is:

"...through a lashing blindness of rain and wind..." (ibid.)

Light from the red dwarf sun makes the rain look like blood and Argens is unable to see the spaceship. Only his captors are visible.

Oppressive symbolism in almost every word.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Ominous and oppressive symbolism? I agree! I only wish I had thought of that the times I was reading WORLD WITHOUT STARS. I merely accepted it as descriptive of the extremely difficult situation Argens and his men were in.

Sean